Greatness with a gentlemanly grace, Ronnie Delany left a legacy that will live forever 

“I often wonder why other, equally talented runners haven’t won the Olympics, Irish among them, and I think there’s a degree of destiny,” the icon of Irish athletics once said.

THE NEXT GENERATION: Guest of honour Ronnie Delany at his alma mater, CUS Sports Day at College Park, Trinity College in 2018. Picture: David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile

On the track, few athletes could run with the alarming speed of Ronnie Delany, while away from it, few carried themselves with such gentlemanly grace. As such, the legacy of the 1956 Olympic 1500m champion, who has died at the age of 91, is one that will live forever.

Delany will be remembered as one of the greatest Irish sportspeople of all time – and he remains the last Irish athlete to have won Olympic gold on the track, taking 1500m glory in Melbourne at the age of just 21.